Jasmine Plant Blooms

Question

I have a big jasmine plant/bush that only blooms in August/September months when it it too cold to sit outside and enjoy the fragrance. Is this normal or can I do something to get it to bloom during summer months? I cut it back quite radically when it has finished blooming.

Answer 1

That is rather odd. I suspect that there is a combination of pruning and fertilizer that may be causing this.

When you prune the plant, you are cutting away much of the type of growth the plant blooms on, and it takes about a year for it to regrow. Since you are pruning in the cooler months, it has to wait nearly a year to be able to rebloom – and thus the cycle is repeated. If you can, wait until the spring to prune or don’t prune at all this year to get the plant back on its normal cycle.

Second, if you are like most people, you probably cut back on your fertilizer in the cooler months. You may be using a fertilizer that is too heavy on the nitrogen. Too much nitrogen will result in a lush, fast growing plant that has few blooms. Then, when you cut back on your fertilizer, the plant is getting less nitrogen and is able to bloom again. If you are fertilizing, look for a fertilizer that is a little heavier in phosphorous than in nitrogen and that will help with blooming as well.